Method for Managing Vehicle Parking Within a Parking Structure

1. A method for managing parking within a parking area comprising: in response to detecting a first license plate number in a first image captured by an entry camera unit arranged near an entry of the parking area, querying a whitelist for the first license plate number; in response to the whitelist excluding the first license plate number: labeling the first license plate number as unverified in a data log associated with the parking area; initiating a timer, associated with the first license plate number, for a duration of a grace period; and in response to expiration of the timer prior to validation of the first license plate number, relabeling the first license plate number as in-violation in the data log; in response to detecting the first license plate number in a second image captured by a mobile enforcement unit moving through the parking area, querying the data log for a status of the first license plate number; and in response to the first license plate number labeled as in-violation in the data log, serving a prompt to an enforcement personnel associated with the mobile enforcement unit to issue a citation to a first vehicle carrying the first license plate number.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, in response to a quantity of license plate numbers labeled as in-violation in the data log exceeding a threshold quantity, dispatching the mobile enforcement unit to the parking area to scan license plate numbers of vehicles occupying the parking area.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: in response to detecting a second license plate number in a third image captured by a second entry camera unit arranged near a second entry of a second parking area, querying a second whitelist for the second license plate number; in response to the second whitelist excluding the second license plate number: labeling the second license plate number as unverified in a second data log associated with the second parking area; initiating a second timer, associated with the second license plate number, for the duration of the grace period; and in response to expiration of the second timer prior to validation of the second license plate number, relabeling the second license plate number as in-violation in the second data log; and in response to a first quantity of license plate numbers labeled as in-violation in the data log associated with the parking area exceeding a second quantity of license plate numbers labeled as in-violation in the second data log associated with the second parking area: scheduling the mobile enforcement unit to scan license plate numbers of vehicles occupying the parking area during a first period of time; and scheduling the mobile enforcement unit to scan license plate numbers of vehicles occupying the second parking area during a second period of time succeeding the first period of time.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: in response to detecting a second license plate number in a third image captured by the entry camera unit, querying the whitelist for the second license plate number; and in response to the whitelist containing the second license plate number: initiating payment for parking in the parking area via a stored payment method associated with the second license plate number; and labeling the second license plate number as validated in the data log.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: in response to detecting a second license plate number in a third image captured by the entry camera unit at a first time, querying the whitelist for the second license plate number; and in response to the whitelist excluding the second license plate number: labeling the second license plate number as unverified in the data log associated with the parking area; and initiating a second timer, associated with the second license plate number, for the duration of the grace period; in response to receiving identification of the second license plate number and submission of a second payment method through a physical kiosk associated with the parking area prior to expiration of the second timer: relabeling the second license plate number as validated in the data log; and initiating a payment hold, for a maximum daily parking rate in the parking area, from the second payment method; and in response to detecting the second license plate number in a fourth image captured by an exit camera unit, arranged near an exit of the parking area, at a second time: labeling the second license plate number as exited in the data log; calculating a parking fee for the second license plate number based on a time difference between the first time and the second time; and crediting an overpayment to the second payment method based on a monetary difference between the parking fee and the payment hold.

6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising: aggregating a list of license plate numbers labeled as unverified in the data log, the list of license plate numbers comprising the second license plate number; aggregating a set of images captured by the entry camera, each image in the set of image depicting a license plate number in the set of license plate numbers; presenting the list of license plate numbers through the physical kiosk; and receiving identification of the second license plate number in the form of selection of an image depicting the second license plate number, from the set of images, at the physical kiosk.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: in response to detecting a second license plate number in a third image captured by the entry camera unit at a first time, querying the whitelist for the second license plate number; and in response to the whitelist excluding the second license plate number, labeling the second license plate number as unverified in the data log; and aggregating a list of license plate numbers labeled as unverified in the data log, the list of license plate numbers comprising the second license plate number; ordering the license plate numbers, in the list of license plate numbers, according to timestamps of images captured by the entry camera and depicting license plate numbers in the list of license plate numbers; presenting the list of license plate numbers through a physical kiosk associated with the parking area; via the physical kiosk: receiving selection of the second license plate number from the list of license plate numbers; and receiving submission of a second payment method associated with the second license plate number; and in response to receiving identification of the second license plate number and submission of the second payment method via the physical kiosk: initiating payment for parking in the parking area, by a second vehicle carrying the second license plate number, via the second payment method; and labeling the second license plate number as validated in the data log.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: in response to detecting a second license plate number in a third image captured by the entry camera unit at a first time period, querying the whitelist for the second license plate number; and in response to the whitelist excluding the second license plate number, labeling the second license plate number as unverified in the data log; and aggregating a list of license plate numbers labeled as unverified in the data log, the list of license plate numbers comprising the second license plate number; presenting the list of license plate numbers through a physical kiosk associated with the parking area; via the physical kiosk: receiving selection of the second license plate number from the list of license plate numbers; receiving submission of a second payment method associated with the second license plate number; and prompting confirmation of a link between the second payment method and the second license plate number for future parking in the parking area; in response to receiving identification of the second license plate number and submission of the second payment method via the physical kiosk: initiating payment for parking in the parking area, by a second vehicle carrying the second license plate number, via the second payment method; and labeling the second license plate number as validated in the data log; and in response to confirmation of the link between the second payment method and the second license plate number for future parking in the parking area, storing the second payment method in association with the second license plate number.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: accessing an image feed captured by a mobile camera arranged on the mobile enforcement unit while the mobile enforcement unit moves past vehicles occupying parking spaces in the parking area; scanning images in the image feed for license plate numbers; and in response to detecting a license plate number in an image in the image feed: querying the data log for a status of the license plate number; in response to the license plate number labeled as verified in the data log, outputting a first audible notification to the enforcement personnel occupying the mobile enforcement unit; and in response to the license plate number labeled as in-violation in the data log, outputting a second audible notification, different from the first audible notification, to the enforcement personnel.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising: in response to detecting a license plate number in the image and in response to the license plate number labeled as un-verified in the data log, outputting a third audible notification, different from the first audible notification and the second audible notification, to the enforcement personnel; and in response to failure to read a license plate number in a contiguous sequence of images in the image feed, outputting a fourth audible notification, different from the first audible notification, the second audible notification, and the third audible notification, to prompt the enforcement personnel to rescan the license plate number.

11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: accessing an image feed captured by a mobile camera arranged on the mobile enforcement unit while the mobile enforcement unit moves past vehicles occupying parking spaces in the parking area; scanning images in the image feed for license plate numbers; and detecting the first license plate number in the second image in the image feed; in response to the enforcement personnel confirming the citation for the first vehicle carrying the first license plate number, queuing a printer in the mobile enforcement unit to print a paper citation specifying the first license plate number; and in response to the enforcement personnel declining the citation for the first vehicle: prompting the operator to supply a reason for declining the citation for the first vehicle; and scheduling the reason for review by a supervisor.

12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: accessing an image feed captured by a mobile camera arranged on the mobile enforcement unit while the mobile enforcement unit moves past vehicles occupying parking spaces in the parking area; scanning images in the image feed for license plate numbers; and in response to detecting the first license plate number in the second image in the image feed, retrieving a quantity of outstanding parking citations issued to the first license plate number; and in response to the quantity of outstanding parking citations issued to the first license plate number exceeding a threshold quantity: accessing a current location of the mobile enforcement unit in the parking area; generating a tow request to tow the first vehicle carrying the first license plate number proximal the current location of the mobile enforcement unit in the parking area; and serving the tow request to a towing service.

13. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: receiving an identifier of the citation issued to the first vehicle at a physical kiosk associated with the parking area; accessing a quantity of citations issued to the first license plate number based on the identifier; and in response to the quantity of citations issued to the first license plate number falling below a threshold quantity: enabling submission of a payment method at the physical kiosk; initiating payment for the first vehicle parking in the parking area with the payment method; and canceling the citation.

14. The method of claim 1 : further comprising, in response to detecting the first license plate number in the first image, querying a pre-validation list for the first license plate number, the pre-validation list comprising a list of license plate numbers designated in pre-validation requests submitted by an external entity; wherein labeling the first license plate number as unverified in the data log comprises labeling the first license plate number as unverified in the data log further in response to the pre-validation list excluding the first license plate number; and further comprising: in response to detecting a second license plate number in a third image captured by the entry camera unit, querying the pre-validation list for the second license plate number; and in response to the pre-validation list containing the second license plate number, labeling the second license plate number as validated in the data log.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising: in response to the pre-validation list containing the second license plate number, initiating a validation timer for a maximum validation duration specified by the external entity; and in response to absence of the second license plate number from an image captured by an exit camera arranged near an exit of the parking area and in response to absence of entry of an alternate payment method for the second license plate number prior to expiration of the validation timer: initiating payment from the external entity on behalf of the second vehicle for the maximum validation duration; and relabeling the second license plate number as unverified in the data log.

16. A method for managing parking within a parking area comprising: in response to detecting a license plate number in a first image, captured by an entry camera unit arranged near an entry of the parking area at a first time, querying a whitelist for the first license plate number; in response to the whitelist excluding the first license plate number: appending the data log for the parking area with the first license plate number labeled as unverified; and in response to absence of submission of a new payment method, in association with the first license plate number, at a physical kiosk in the parking area prior to a second time succeeding the first time by a grace period duration, relabeling the first license plate number as in-violation in the data log; and in response to detecting the first license plate number in a second image captured by a mobile enforcement unit moving through the parking area and associated with an enforcement personnel: querying the data log for a status of the first license plate number; and in response to the first license plate number labeled as in-violation in the data log, serving a prompt to the enforcement personnel to issue a citation to a vehicle carrying the first license plate number.

17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising: in response to the whitelist containing the first license plate number: initiating payment for parking in the parking area via a stored payment method associated with the first license plate; and labeling the first license plate number as validated in a data log associated with the parking area; and in response to the whitelist excluding the first license plate number, in response to submission of the new payment method, in association with the first license plate number, at the physical kiosk prior to the second time, relabeling the first license plate number as validated in the data log.

18. A method for managing parking within a parking area comprising: accessing an image feed captured by a mobile camera arranged on a mobile enforcement unit, deployed in the parking area, while the mobile enforcement unit moves past vehicles occupying parking spaces in the parking area; scanning images, in the image feed, for license plate numbers; and for each license plate number detected in the image feed: querying a data log associated with the parking area for a status of the license plate number; and in response to the license plate number labeled as in-violation in the data log: outputting a first notification to an enforcement personnel occupying the mobile enforcement unit as the mobile enforcement unit moves past a vehicle carrying the license plate number, the first notification representing absence of parking validation for the license plate number within a grace period duration following entry of the vehicle into the parking area; and queuing a printer to print a paper parking citation designating the license plate number.

19. The method of claim 18 , further comprising, for each license plate number detected in the image feed: in response to the license plate number labeled as validated in the data log, outputting a second notification to the enforcement personnel as the mobile enforcement unit moves past a vehicle carrying the license plate number, the second notification different from the first notification and representing confirmation of parking validation for the license plate number; and in response to the license plate number labeled as un-validated in the data log, outputting a third notification to the enforcement personnel as the mobile enforcement unit moves past a vehicle carrying the license plate number, the third notification different from the first notification, representing absence of parking validation for the license plate number, and representing presence of the vehicle in the parking area for less than the grace period duration.

20. The method of claim 18 , further comprising: in response to detecting a first license plate number in a first image captured by an entry camera unit arranged near an entry of the parking area, querying a whitelist for the first license plate number; in response to the whitelist containing the first license plate number: initiating payment for parking in the parking area via a stored payment method associated with the first license plate; and labeling the first license plate number as validated in a data log associated with the parking area; in response to the whitelist excluding the first license plate number: appending the data log for the parking area with the first license plate number labeled as unverified; initiating a timer, associated with the first license plate number, for a duration of a grace period; in response to submission of a new payment method, in association with the first license plate number, at a physical kiosk in the parking area, relabeling the first license plate number as validated in the data log; in response to expiration of the timer prior to validation of the first license plate number, relabeling the first license plate number as in-violation in the data log.